NASCIO Resources

In 2007, state CIOs had offered anecdotal evidence that states could face a potential shortage of government IT workers in the near future due to anticipated retirements of baby boomers and a waning interest in government IT employment from a younger generation. To revisit this looming issue, in November 2010 NASCIO conducted a web-based survey for state CIOs to assess the landscape of the state IT workforce. The results of the survey State IT Workforce: Under Pressure have been compiled and NASCIO members should use the results as a tool in identifying and addressing state IT workforce trends. The state responses provide a broad perspective on state IT workforce issues as a whole, and also allow CIOs to further assess the IT employment outlook within their respective states.

Each year NASCIO conducts a survey of the state CIOs to identify and prioritize the top policy and technology issues facing state government. The CIOs top ten priorities are identified and used as input to NASCIO's programs, planning for conference sessions, and publications.

Released in conjunction with NASCIO's 2009 Best Practices in the Use of Information Technology in State Government Awards, this booklet contains summaries of innovative state government programs in the following areas: Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships; Data, Information and Knowledge Management; Digital Government – G to B; Digital Government – G to C; Digital Government – G to G; Enterprise IT Management Initiatives; Improving State Operations; Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations; Open Government Initiatives; and Risk Management Initiatives.

People put a lot of trust in state governments to collect, maintain and protect the appropriate information necessary to execute their programs, protect individual rights, and ensure public safety. The volume of that information expands at an ever-increasing pace, and maintenance and protection of that information, particularly where it involves Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI), becomes more and more challenging. The 2010 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study finds that states need to do more to secure citizen data and maintain public trust.

In the summer of 2010, NASCIO’s Social Media Working Group implemented a survey of social media adoption by state governments to clarify existing use of social media by states and extend its knowledge of how the tools are being deployed in state governments across the country. The survey examined adoption trends, current applications and expectations of social media technologies, the extent to which implementation is governed by formal policies or individual agency initiative, and perceptions of risk associated with social media tool use. This brief reports on the survey results, and makes recommendations about next steps states need to take as they adapt these tools to expand engagement with citizens and improve government programs.

Investment in business intelligence and business analytics must be driven by enterprise strategic intent. Proper leverage of analytics should start with a clear understanding of the outcomes state government is trying to achieve. This issue brief presents the rationale for analytics using the NASCIO Enterprise Architecture Value Chain as a framework for organizing the thinking and the questions which eventually drive investment in analytics capabilities. It builds on the foundational concepts discussed in NASCIO’s first issue brief on this subject, and strongly recommends an enterprise approach. Without an enterprise approach to analytics, investment across the enterprise is un-orchestrated and uncoordinated. That creates redundant investment in tools and training, and creates barriers to cross line of business collaboration. State government can not afford redundant and disconnected investment. One of the values of enterprise architecture is the management, optimization and simplification of investment within state government. Proper investment and application of analytics is essential to deploying effective and efficient government services. Finally, the level of complexity of analytical methods and tools depends on the complexity of the decisions and the issues.

Since Profiles of Progress was last released in April of 2009, there has been a tremendous flurry of activity due to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announcing the recipients of the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program (State HIE). In addition, the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has started to be dispensed to state and regional efforts across the nation and will be used to invest, solidify and make sustainable health IT efforts in the states. The updated compendium, “Profiles of Progress 4: State Health IT Initiatives,” serves as a snapshot of how states are responding to the challenge of leading the implementation of health IT and what role, if any, the state CIO is playing in these efforts. The numerous revisions within the compendium reflect the expeditious growth and adoption of health IT over the past year. As government leaders increasingly support Health IT as a means to improve patient care and reduce costs it is imperative that states implement an enterprise-wide architecture for the statewide exchange of health information.

Due to the pervasive use of personally owned smartphones in the U.S., practical concerns have arisen around state employee requests to use these devices for state business. The potential for security incidents and data breaches is a practical concern that state CIOs and CISOs must address when establishing security standards. While these devices make the work lives of employees less complicated, and perhaps reduce state IT acquisition costs, officials must once again face the classic dilemma of balancing risks and rewards. Policies on the Use of Personally Owned Smartphones in State Government highlights the trend toward states establishing security policies and standards for connecting personally owned smartphones to government networks.

As state CIOs continue to deploy IT solutions, it is important to recognize the fiscal benefits of transforming the procurement process to meet the needs of a smaller workforce, budget constraints, and consolidation efforts. Because of current economic factors the state CIO is faced with not only budget constraints for needed IT goods and services, but also advocating for procurement reform that meets the needs of the 21st century. Gaining Traction on the Road to Win-Win presents the challenges associated with unlimited liability, and encourages the inclusion of risk management strategies for state IT contracts. The report also calls attention to the fact that state CIOs are better equipped to provide services to the state when flexible terms and conditions for procurement provisions are in place.

Business analytics provides an evidence-based approach for decision making. With the current emphasis on transparency and visibility into the operations of government, government leaders need to anticipate more questions and evaluation related to not only what decisions are being made, but also what rationale was applied in making those decisions. As stated in this issue brief, intuition alone is not adequate for evaluating alternatives and making decisions. Effective implementation of a business analytics capability will promote an enterprise-wide culture of fact-based decision making. State government is encouraged to seriously look at business analytics as a means for fully understanding current circumstances and make predictions about the future. The predictive nature is particularly important as we continue to face ongoing fiscal challenges and increasing demand for state government services.